I can't fight this feeling
any longer
And yet I'm still afraid to let it flow
What started out as friendship has grown stronger
I only wish I had the strength to let it show
I tell myself that I can't hold out forever
I say there is no reason for my fear
'Cause I feel so secure when we're together
You give my life direction
You make everything so clear
And even as I wander, I'm keeping you in sight
You're a candle in the window on a cold, dark winter's night
And I'm getting closer than I ever thought I might
And I can't fight this feeling anymore
I've forgotten what I started fighting for
It's time to bring this ship into the shore
And throw away the oars forever
'Cause I can't fight this feeling anymore
I've forgotten what I started fighting for
And if I have to crawl upon the floor
Come crashing through your door
Baby, I can't fight this feeling anymore
My life has been such a whirlwind since I saw you
I've been running around in circles in my mind
And it always seems that I'm following you girl
'Cause you take me to the places that I know I'd never find
And even as I wander I'm keeping you in sight
You're a candle in the window on a cold, dark winter's night
And I'm getting closer than I ever thought I might
I can't fight this feeling anymore
I've forgotten what I started fighting for
It's time to bring this ship into the shore
And throw away the oars forever
'Cause I can't fight this feeling anymore
I've forgotten what I started fighting for
And if I have to crawl upon the floor
Come crashing through your door
Baby, I can't fight this feeling anymore

REO Speedwagon

Xena was tired. Her body ached.
Her legs barely carried her up the steps to the front door of the Fireside Inn.
It was well past midnight but she was only dimly aware of the hour. That little
scuffle lasted much longer than she had anticipated. Diphobus' men were much
more skilled and better armed than the last time she had run into them.

This town, Pardum,
situated as it is in the cleavage of two mountains in central Myceane made an
easy target. The warlord had chipped away at the settlement in a quiet terror
that Xena found unnerving. It took extreme patience and perseverance and Xena
knew Diphobus had more patience than Hades himself. Past experience with the
renegade Roman centurion had proved to be a lesson in humility for her. She
was almost too confident then and had nearly lost her head.

Underestimating Diphobus and his ability to be creative with available resources
was something she would never do again. It had brought her down from her pedestal.
The one that she sometimes finds herself on when in battle. Being the more skilled
most of the time tends to gnaw at your ego and humility was not something the
Warrior Princess considered a virtue.

Now, she was faced
with the man again. Diphobus had been planning this one for awhile, she
thought to herself as she crossed the empty inn's common room. That makes
him even more dangerous. She considered the stairs before her briefly as
she approached it. Why do they always have to make the sleeping rooms upstairs,
she brooded as her legs thrust her onward. She groaned inwardly as she reached
the top and turned down a narrow passage.

Stopping in front
of a door, she braced herself on it's threshold, eyes downcast in thought and
exhaustion. She and Gabrielle had originally planned on staying just one night
and then moving on. But when she stumbled across an extortion racket, they had
agreed to stay and make some inquiries. One night had turned into three and
they still weren't any closer to determining who was behind the trouble.

An encounter yesterday
with one of Diphobus' men brought a revelation that turned out to be much bigger
than her earlier suspicions had led her to believe.

********

She had entered
a tannery early that morning and saw a large, hairy beast of a man with his
arms across a counter and the proprietor in grimy paws. Nose to nose, he growled
at the old man and didn't hear when she had entered. The old man was wide-eyed
and visibly trembling, sweat beading on his brow. Xenas ice blue eyes
had darkened as she slipped silently up to the behemoth. Tapping him on the
shoulder solidly to command his attention, her eyes glaring out from behind
narrow eye-lids. Her jaw flexed as she set her teeth then she tapped him on
the shoulder with four fingers again.

"Excuse me, pal,
are you about finished? I really need to buy some leather and I cant do
that with your hairy ass in the way," her voice low, it was more of a suggestion
than a question.

The big man's nostrils
flared wide, "Bitch, I know you didn't just touch me." He neglected to turn
and face the voice, hearing it only to be female therefore he dismissed it as
non-threatening. He couldn't have made a bigger mistake in two lifetimes.

Allowing her anger
to brew, she placed a steady hand on the bully's shoulder only to have him shrug
it away violently.

"Fucking bitch,"
he spat as he released his grip on the tanner and turned the upper half of his
body to look at the dead woman who had just dared to touch him twice.

The last thing he
saw was a disgruntled princess who tapped him a third and final time as her
right fist connected with the left side of his face. His head swung around but
the lower half failed to follow and Xena heard the wet snap that resulted.

Justice,
she thought to herself. Recalling her fist as the body hit the plank floor of
the workshop, she sniffed softly.

"Who you calling
bitch, bitch?" she snarled down at him. Her eyes then quickly scanned the room
for any of his companions and when finding no immediate threats, looked over
the table for the tanner. Her brows bent in question at his absence. Stepping
over the crumpled terrorist, she ducked her head under the counter. Her sudden
appearance startled the already jumpy tanner and he squealed.

She smiled down
at him. "It's alright, I'm not going to hurt you." Her voice was encouraging
and the tanner reached out to take her offered hand.

He gathered his
quaking knees beneath him and staggered out. Standing at his full height, although
he was tall even for the men in his village, he didn't even come close to the
towering length of the bronze amazon standing protectively beside him.

"Great Hera," he
choked.

"Are you alright?
He didn't hurt you did he?" Xena's face showed obvious concern and since he
was still breathing, the old man found enough strength to nod at her. And, he
considered, she had disposed, although he cringed at the word, of the ass who
would have not thought twice about snapping his own neck. He looked down at
the man and unconsciously placed his hand on his throat as if making sure his
own head was still on straight. He then moved his eyes onto the warrior.

Xena felt sure the
man was fine, just frightened. Who wouldn't be. That man was huge. She
grinned slightly at the thought though, that, one punch had sent the man to
Tartarus. There's that ego thing again, she thought as she rubbed her
knuckles.

"Did you know this
man?" she asked.

"N..N...Nathan,
I think," the old tanner sputtered out. "Who are you?"

"Name's Xena."

The tanner felt
his heart jump right into his throat and he staggered backwards, reaching out
to the table's edge for support. "Xena?" he whispered under his breath.

Xena ignored his
reaction. She was used to it. She glanced around the room instead. Argo's bridle
needed repaired and that was still foremost on her mind.

"I've heard rumors
about you," he managed quietly.

Xena fixed him with
narrow eyes. When he realized she was waiting for him to continue, he made a
lame attempt to clear his throat. "That you no longer ride with death."

With a slow blink
she shifted her gaze. "No," she said. "I no longer hold his reins, but as you
can see, the thunder from his hooves still mocks me."

The tanner sensed
something cryptic in her words, and swallowed uneasily.

"Would you mind
telling me why this man felt the need to hold you four inches off the ground?"
Xena asked as she browsed around the workshop until she found a crate of assorted
leather pieces. Sifting through the leather straps and belts, she frowned. Too
small, she thought. "It didn't look like a very friendly conversation."

The tanner blinked
at her apparent lackadaisical attitude towards the deceased. Glancing down at
him, the old man shrugged at the statement. "He was angry because my payment
was late," the tanner said matter of matter-of-factly.

"You owe him money?"
Xena glanced over at him, as her hands found a strap buried in a box of similar
items. Too wide, she refused the piece and began to dig further.

"In a way," was
the old man's response. "he was here for his protection money."

Xena's eyes furrowed.
"Don't you think that seems a little..." Xena searched for the right word. Damn,
where is Gabrielle when I need her. When she faltered, the old man grinned
reluctantly.

"Not really, at
least he was being a businessman about it. He wasn't just stealing it."

Xena raised unbelieving
eyebrows at the proprietor. "That doesn't make it right." She finally said as
she approached the counter where he still clung.

"There isn't much
that can be done about it so we just pay them and they go away. They don't let
anyone else in the town and there isn't any trouble like before. It's almost
like we have our own army to protect us. Of course we have to pay them for those
services."

Xena was baffled.
Who had brain washed these simple people into believing this was a blessing
not a crime. "There are more of them?" she inquired. The man nodded.

"Oh, yes, he," indicating
to the dead man at his feet. "covered my shop and the six others on this side
of the street all the way down to the crossroads. The others have their own
customers."

Customers?
Xena thought. This man can't be that naive. "Who is their leader?" She
asked almost not wanting to know the answer.

"Some man named
Diphobus. They camp down at the river Ostrander on the south side of the water
shed." The tanner nervously glanced down to his feet.

Diphobus? The name
hit her hard, making her bright eyes dim noticeably. She barred her teeth as
she cursed under her breath. Friggin figures, she thought.."

The tanner began
to regain some of his faculties and was now intent on stuffing the dead body
under the table. Xena watched him. The corners of her mouth began to creep up
into a wicked smile.

"You know," she
said to the tanner as he found the body to be too large to fit satisfyingly.
"If you cut off his arms and legs, he might fit better." It was an attempt to
startle the man back into his senses, but it only proved to encourage him further.

He stood, his eyes
focused on Xena, but also seemed to focus through her. It made her glance behind
herself to see what he was staring at, but there was nothing there.

"Yeah, you're right,"
his affirmation brought her attention back around. "I.. I could just..." His
hands drifted across his chest and hips as if searching for something, his eyes
dancing across the room. "The bones, you know," he was lost in the idea. "Tough
to cut through, but..."

Xena cut him off
as she reached out a grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him close. "I was joking."
she stated flatly. The old man looked at her as if seeing her for the first
time. She released him gently.

"Why do you want
to hide him so badly?"

"Oh, when they find
him here, dead, they'll leave me here, dead, too." The reality of the circumstance
built up his anxiety once more. Fear was a powerful emotion, Xena knew.

"Well, then, just
tell them that I killed him and if they have a problem with that, then, they
better hope that they find me before I find them," she growled.

The man nodded,
the toe of his boot absently trying to push a non-compliant arm back up under
the counter.

Xena gave him an
exasperated look and tossed him a couple of dinars from the pouch at her waist.
"Tell them that I'll be watching." she said as she turned and left.

Considering the
foe she was up against, she found herself almost anxious to settle scores with
him. She determined that later that night she would take a ride down to the
river just to see what kind of army the Roman had. Always better to know
what youre aiming at before you go off half-cocked.

But that was for
later. Right now she had a broken bridle to mend and so she steered towards
the stable where Argo was being kept, then, she intended to plant herself at
the crossroads tavern and listen for awhile. There was always a lot to learn
in places where men were drinking. The ale made them careless, sloppy and unconsciously
disloyal and many wars had been averted merely by eavesdropping on drunken soldiers.

********

Xena's thoughts
of yesterday drifted away and she tired to shake the weariness from her head.
Reaching out for the door she pushed her way inside the room.

"Xena," Gabrielle
watched the warrior as she entered the room. The bard's eyes opened wide at
the battered princess. Dirty, bloody, and smelling of beer and sweat. Xena managed
to give her an apologetic look with an attempt at a grin that failed miserably.

"What in Hades happened
to you?" Gabrielle was used to Xena getting into fights often enough, but from
the looks of her friend, it had been more than a bar brawl. "You look like you
tried to play fetch with Cerebus, and you were the bone."

Xena reached out
for support on the back of a chair and would have missed had Gabrielle's hand
not caught her. The bard reached around Xena's waist to guide her to the chair
and felt a wetness on her back. Pulling her hand away, she found it covered
with blood.

"Does any of this
blood belong to you?" She asked as she settled Xena into a chair. Xena grimaced
as she sat, her face then relaxed as her body collapsed into the chair.

"I feel like hell,"
was all she could say.

A grin crossed Gabrielles
lips. "You smell like it too. What happened?" Gabrielle retrieved a wash rag
from beside a tub and dunked it in. Squeezing the water out, she began to wipe
her friends face. "Are you alright?" She asked when their eyes met.

"I think so, just
tired," Xena closed her eyes as Gabrielle wiped her neck. Placing the wash rag
down, she knelt beside the warrior and began to remove her breastplate and sword.

"Xena, what happened?
Whos blood is this?"

"Any of about fifty
men or maybe more, I don't remember. I quit counting. There were too many to
keep track of. They just kept coming so I just kept swinging. I haven't fought
like that since... well, since Tripolis." Xena frowned at the reminder of the
day the bard had been poisoned by a Persian arrow. The berserker in her had
emerged then if only to protect Gabrielle. And tonight, it had reared it's ugly
head again as she fought for her own life. As Xena's eyes drifted back to that
time, Gabrielle dropped her brows in concern.

Lifting the armor
over Xena's dark head, she set it aside and propped the sword up against it.
She then began to remove greves and boots. "Why were you fighting so many men?"

Xena shook her head.
"My ego," she admitted.

Gabrielle raised
a questioning eyebrow at the warrior. "Your ego?" she repeated as she ran her
hands over bare feet and calves up to Xenas knees looking for wounds.
Finding none, she took hold of weary arms and began to remove arm bands and
wrist bracers.

"That's an even
longer story, Gabrielle." Xena watched the bard's hands as they ran up and down
her arms. She gave a mild shiver at the feel of the soft fingers searching for
injuries.

"Well why don't
you tell me the short version about what happened tonight," Gabrielle stood
up and moved to Xena's side.

Xena looked up at
her. Green eyes glared down at her waiting for an explanation to her battered
body. Xena smiled slightly. Gabrielle, you worry too much. I'm a big girl,
I can take care of my self. I'm still here aren't I? She swallowed her heart
back down into her chest. Ah, who am I kidding. I like the way she takes
care of me. Fusses and worries until I come home safe and in possession of all
my parts. I don't think I could have made it this far without her. And yet,
why do I continue to put her through this. Why do I make her restless at night
with the knowledge that if I am in a fight the next day, will I be injured or
killed or will I slip by unscathed, pressing my luck. I'm sure she thinks that
my luck will run out one day. Skill and experience can bring you only bring
you so close to the shore before the tide turns back out. Gabrielle is the only
thing that keeps me from getting lost in that sea again. And still I refuse
her and take her for granted. Xena sighed closing her eyes.

"Well," she heard
Gabrielle's voice from behind her, still waiting for the story. With a sag of
her shoulders she relented and leaned forward as the bard's fingers worked the
laces of the leather tunic.

"Gabrielle, it was
a little skirmish by the river. I told you that Diphobus has set up camp..."

"Skirmish?" Gabrielle
repeated, her eyebrows shooting up. She helped the warrior wiggle out of the
leather and then gathered the ensemble together to stack it in the corner of
the room. She then turned to look at Xena.

The beautiful warrior
sat uncharacteristically lethargic in the hard chair, shoulders forward, head
low, eyes hooded. Her face pained and weary. Sitting in the dingy white linen
tunic that clung to her body, her dark skin appeared healthy and vibrant in
the candlelight, despite the grime and gore. Gabrielle gazed at her. She was
the most beautiful woman she had ever seen. Even Aphrodite couldn't compare,
she thought with an apologetic glance thrown towards the heavens. Xena was
even more beautiful when impassioned by battle or some other challenge that
teetered on the edge of danger. Her bright eyes would sparkle and skin would
flush as her strong, brave heart pounded out the rhythm of a distant war drum
only she knew how to dance to.

Gabrielle loved
to see her like that. She knew the warrior didn't have much happiness in her
life and any small temptation that might give her pleasure she would beat down
and steel her self against. Gabrielle bent her eyes in wonder at that. She walked
over to Xena and placed her hands on tired shoulders.

"I guess you know
that you are bleeding from a cut on your back," Gabrielle said matter-of-factly,
as she reached for the wash rag. She rinsed it and wrung it out, then placed
it over the wound on Xena's shoulder blade.

"Am I?" the warrior
asked through closed eyes. "I didn't know." She leaned back against the chair
and felt Gabrielle take hold of her other shoulder. "I can't feel anything right
now but your hands."

Gabrielle smiled
at that. "There must have been some pretty big boys in that skirmish," she said
sarcastically. "It takes an awful lot to put you in this kind of shape."

Xena smiled. She
felt Gabrielle lift the rag and examine the wound. "Will I live?"

"As usual," Gabrielle
placed the rag by the tub and dipped her hand in. The water was still quite
warm. It hadn't been that long ago since she had ordered the bath drawn to the
room. She returned to Xenas side and reached out for her elbow, placing
a guiding hand on her lower back, she urged the woman to stand.

"Come on," Gabrielle
walked her to the tub. "the water's still warm." She placed Xena's hand on the
side of the tub to steady herself and waited while the weary warrior relieved
herself of her breeches. Reaching down to the hem of the tunic, she lifted it
slowly over Xena's head and, tossing it aside, helped her friend ease down into
the water.

Xena visibly relaxed
as she slid under the water letting it settle well above her shoulders. She
felt Gabrielle's hands on her head tilting it back to rest on the back of the
tub.

"Just relax," Gabrielle
smiled. "Let me do all the work."

Xena let herself
drift somewhere between consciousness and unconsciousness. Feeling safe and
content, she dropped her guard completely to allow Gabrielle to salvage some
small part of her abused body. She found that secret place she keeps deep inside.
The one only Gabrielle had been allowed to see her in. Then again, Gabrielle
was the only one she trusted and that had taken years. Despite betrayals from
both of them, the core of their friendship, the heart and soul of it had remained
intact and it had taken the sacrifice of pride to help them find their way back.
But with that journey came a new realization and one that neither was really
prepared to face.

Xena was happy with
their relationship. Relieved she had someone to share life with, although she
regretted the kind of life she had exposed the young bard to. Still, Gabrielle
wasn't the type to hang around anywhere she wasn't comfortable. She had repeatedly
advised Xena that "she was more than happy to simply follow her across the friggin
world until they both fell over the edge". Xena smiled as she remembered the
conversation that had occurred too long ago on a road too far away.

Gabrielle's hands
on her hair shook her from her memory. "What are you smiling at?" Gabrielle
asked as she sat on a chair by the tub. She had pulled another chair closer
and draped a couple linens and towels across the back of it and placed a small
empty jar on the seat with a wedge of soap. Taking the lye soap in her hands,
she dipped them in the water and began to build up a soft lather.

Xena opened her
eyes at the sound. "Nothing, just thinking."

"Must have been
a pretty nice thought," Gabrielle mused out loud. She put the soap aside and
took Xena's hair into her hands. Xena sighed and closed her eyes again as gentle
fingertips pushed the lather onto her scalp and through her dark tresses. Gabrielle
smiled at her again.

"Feel good?" she
asked as she worked her way from the roots to the ends.

"MmmHmm," was Xena's
throaty reply.

"I like the way
your hair feels," Gabrielle replied. Soft and silky, she thought privately.
She watched as she placed her palms flat to Xena's head and let the wet strands
slip lazily through her fingers as she pushed the lather out. I could do
this all night, she raised her eyes to stare towards the fireplace at the
thought. Gods, I really could, if only she would let me. It seems like lately
she doesn't want to be near me. We haven't touched much since, well before Britannia.
There was that night by the sea after we surfaced from Illusia. She just held
onto me all night, not talking, mostly crying quietly, but I did my share of
that as well. It just felt so good to be with her. Now, it seems we tiptoe around
each other. Sometimes she'll just sit and stare at me and not offer any explanation.
It would be a little disconcerting if it were anyone but her, but to have those
blue eyes watching my every move, it makes me feel..I don't know, I can't tell
what I feel lately. She has me so confused. I wonder if she feels the same way.
We should talk about it, but we don't even do much of that anymore. Ever since
Rome and dying on that blasted cross, words have been hard for both of us. One
thing has changed, though. We seem to touch more. Speaking without words. She's
so funny when it comes to physical expression that her caress always leaves
me wondering where it came from and hoping it will return. So I take the simple
pleasures of her when I am offered them and dare not initiate anything more.
Maybe one day we will get back to where we were or at least somewhere beyond
it. 'Til then I am content to sit here and run my fingers through her hair and
believe she's enjoying it as much as I am.

"What are you smiling
at?" Xena asked as she glanced up at the bard.

But Gabrielle didn't
answer her. "Lean forward," she said instead, dipping the jar into the water.
Xena did as told and let Gabrielle place one hand on her chin and tip her head
back slightly. She then placed the same hand on Xenas forehead to block
the flow of water from her eyes.

Gabrielle let the
water pour out slowly and watched as the soapy streams fall down her friend's
shoulders, back and chest. Captivated, she filled the jar for rinsing more times
than was necessary just to watch the little rivers descend over Xena's body.
She returned the jug to the chair and then pressed her hands in to the dark
hair again to push out the excess water. When she pulled her hands away, Xena
sat back and looked up at her.

The bard returned
a soft smile as she placed soapy hands on a dirty neck. Xena closed her eyes
and lifted her chin up so she could give better access. Drawing her hands around
the back of the warrior's neck, Gabrielle let her fingertips massage the tense
muscles for a moment before sliding her palms across wide shoulders.

She found herself
becoming lost in the action. Almost habitual or was it by instinct, she wasn't
for sure, but something profound moved her hands to caress more than simply
wash the body of the submerged warrior. She felt her face flush almost immediately
and wondered at the heat. Being attracted to the warrior wasn't new to her,
but this feeling was more than she could simply say as being a crush. The nearness
of the estranged warrior was intoxicating and to touch her was like a wonder
drug that she had become addicted to. She dropped her eyes in uncertainty and
pulled her hands away.

Xena waited. When
she didn't feel the gentle hands return after a minute, she frowned slightly
at the loss and opened her eyes.

Gabrielle shifted
her gaze quickly not wanting Xena to see her distress. Picking up the wash rag
from the table, she soaped it in the water. She caught Xena's eyes briefly.

"Your face is filthy,"
the bard said. "Close your eyes."

Xena nodded and
felt the rag scrub her cheeks and forehead, then inspect her ears gently. She
smiled through the soap.

Gabrielle smiled
back at her uncontrollably. She rinsed the rag several times in an attempt to
rinse the face and neck.

"Did I get it all?"
Gabrielle asked soaping the rag again.

Xena ran a hand
over her neck. "I think so."

Taking the hand
before it slipped back beneath the water's surface, Gabrielle rubbed the rag
over Xena's fingers paying close attention to her nails. Then, keeping those
fingers in her own hand, she moved the wash rag up and down the long, muscular
arms in smooth strokes.

Xena watched her.
When the whole arm was soapy, she smiled at her partner's meticulous attention
to detail. Strange coming from this spontaneous redhead. Never wanting to stay
at the same inn twice unless the food was extraordinarily appetizing. Never
really telling a story the same way twice, and to Xena's pleasant surprise,
Gabrielle's fighting technique with those asian sais was always changing. To
this Xena smiled in silent approval. Keeps your opponent on their toes.

She felt Gabrielle
rinse her arm and then heard her quietly request for the other. Xena obliged.
She was too tired to pick an argument, although she loved to banter with the
bard like she loved to breathe. It rarely took much prodding before the bard
would burst into a tirade at which the warrior would just stand and smirk. Gabrielle
just left herself wide open to jibes far too often and Xena rarely resisted
the opportunity to irritate the little amazon further.

Gabrielle had become
her intellectual companion as well as partner, but it was times like right now
that the warrior cherished the most, which she also found slightly disconcerting
if not totally out of character. Never one to need human closeness, the constant
fussing of the bard had mellowed her out to an extent. Gabrielle didn't nag,
usually, and always knew what to say and when to say it. But the way she could
say volumes in just a single touch scrambled Xena's brains. Placing a comforting
hand on a trembling shoulder or arm, holding a reluctant hand, the way she slept
next to the warrior so close and all curled up with an arm thrown over and her
nose buried deep into her neck or shoulder. Not wanting to be a replacement
for the girl's mother , she had pushed Gabrielle away at the beginning. But
her resolve had slipped away with the years and now, here she was, a cold mountain
in the face of certain death all but reduced to a shuddering idiot when in the
bards company. The Warrior Princess had become a perpetual prisoner of
a tiny storyteller.

She didn't remember
the exact time of day or what the weather was like or where they were headed
when she had placed all her trust, and her life, completely into the young woman's
hands. Atypical to her character once again, she didn't care.

Right now she was
so relaxed that if Gabrielle turned against her at the last second she would
never know it. She would bleed to death in a tub of tepid water with a heartwarming
thought of her best friend the last thing on her mind.

As Xena continued
to drift, almost asleep, she heard Gabrielle speaking softly but couldn't understand
what she was saying. Almost as if watching the whole scene from somewhere near
the ceiling, she saw herself reclined in the peacemaker's arms as she continued
her gentle washing.

Xena was amazed
at the smile caressing Gabrielle's face as her soapy hands glided over long
dark legs, then smoothed over her stomach.

As her mind floated
above them, she tilted her head in wonder when Gabrielle's hands stopped short
of her breasts. She noticed how the green eyes softened but remained fixed upon
her chest. She felt as if something was drawing her closer as she hovered over
the scene .

Slowly, Gabrielle
resumed her attentions onto Xena's chest but was reluctant to touch the warrior's
breasts, daring one dip into the submerged cleavage and then quickly withdrawing.

Why did
she do that? Xenas displaced mind thought. Moving even closer,
she saw how flushed the bards face had become, but before she could ponder
it, she felt herself thrown back into her body violently.

She bolted upright,
eyes searching the room.

"Xena?" Gabrielle
jumped at the sudden change in position of her friend. Xena looked at her momentarily
confused.

"You must have fallen
asleep," Gabrielle explained. Gods!

"Yeah, I'm just
real tired, I guess," Xena's brows furrowed down at the dream she had been shaken
from.

"Here, let me get
your back," Gabrielle leaned over the side of the tub and quickly scrubbed her
clean. "You're done now, if you just want to get your," Gabrielle handed Xena
the wash rag. "You know, other parts."

Xena looked at her
a moment before accepting the rag.

Gabrielle stood
and replaced the chairs at the table that occupied the center of the room. She
didn't face the tub again until she heard the warrior stand. Reaching for a
towel she met Xena as she was climbing out to stand dripping on the floor.

"Here," Gabrielle
handed her the towel and then laid another on the bed. "Dry off then come over
here so I can look at your shoulder."

Gabrielle fussed
with the towel for a minute and upon turning was startled to see the damp warrior
standing beside her.

"Feeling better?"
she asked as Xena sat on the bedside.

"Much," Xena held
the towel to her face for a minute then looked into Gabrielle's green eyes.
"Thank you."

Gabrielle grinned
as she twirled her finger indicating that she wanted the warrior to roll onto
her belly. "For what?" She asked as Xena stretched out onto the towel over the
blankets.

"For taking care
of me," Xena said wearily into the pillow.

"My pleasure," Gabrielle
took the towel from Xena and finished drying her body, then draped it over her
upper thighs and buttocks to keep her from getting chill. You mean
to avoid distraction. A voice inside Gabrielle's head snickered at
her. She shook the laugh clear and refocused on the injury on Xena's shoulder.
"Looks good."

"I'm sorry," she
glanced into Xenas face. "I just wanted to make sure it was clean."

"Sallright," Xena
slurred sleepily.

Gabrielle got up
from the bed and went to their saddlebags to retrieve the herb bag. Pulling
out the separate bags inside she found the comfrey root and calendula and then
pulled out the bowl they used to mix the herbs in. She went to the fireplace
and drew a cup of hot water from the pot near the flame and after adding the
proper proportions of the powdered root and crushed flowers, she added a little
hot water to the mix to make a thin paste. She then collected a bandage from
the open bag and returned to Xenas side with the items.

She looked at the
warrior for a moment while the poultice cooled. She seems so peaceful.
Gabrielle let her eyes wander over the warrior's dark head. If you
didn't know her you might think she is an innocent young woman who hasn't seen
hard work or blood or death.

Gabrielle pulled
her thoughts from the direction they were headed and applied the poultice to
the injury. She covered it with the square bandage and then tested the skin
around the violation. Frowning, she placed her palms on Xena's upper arms.

"All the muscles
in your back are out of whack," she stated to the dozing princess. She began
to press some out and when Xena didn't protest, she positioned herself on the
bedside and began to massage the bunched muscles into quivering submission.

Gabrielle looked
at the warriors back closely. Scars, some small and others more readily
apparent littered the woman's back. Only innocent looking from a distance,
I guess. Gabrielle thought. Although scarred in numerous places only
one stood out. Curving from Xena's right side at the bottom of her rib cage
up to the tip of her right shoulder blade. As Gabrielle considered it, it wasn't
an ugly scar but rather a beautiful badge of courage. Thin and almost invisible
unless the light fell across it just right. It was a soft pale streak against
a dark backdrop. It reminded Gabrielle of a shooting star against a moonless
midnight sky.

Her left hand passed
over it slowly as she moved to squeeze the warrior's shoulders. She retraced
the path on her way back down and drifted a fingertip across the length of it.

Xena's back quivered
under the touch and Gabrielle watched it tremble.

"You've never told
me what this scar is from, Xena?"

When Xena didn't
move to answer, she studied it closer, tracing it's illuminating path to the
side of her rib cage. The muscles quaked again. She thought she heard Xena whimper,
so she placed her palm flat against it.

"Does it hurt?"
she asked.

"No." Xena answered
softly.

Gabrielle continued
her caress without taking her eyes from the scar.

"It's just the memory
that hurts," Xena offered.

Gabrielle regarded
her friend as her hands floated over the strong back and shoulders taking care
not to disturb the new scar in progress.

After a silent minute,
Gabrielle queried. "What happened?" She tried to visualize Xena taking a blow
protecting a baby or challenging a ruthless brigand. Heroic to the bitter last.

"It was a long time
ago," Xena recounted. "Back before..well...back before you unfortunately."

"What do you mean?"
Gabrielle scooted down to knead the tight flesh of Xena's thighs.

Xena sighed at the
feel of the hands pressing into her skin, feeling as if they were actually under
the skin, touching her in a way more intimate than she had ever known. As if
they were reaching for her soul. Sighing again she sought to de-rail the bard's
questions.

"It was during the
time when I led Ares' army. The story is long and drawn out. Remind me one day
when it's raining and I'll tell you." She fell silent hoping the bard wouldn't
dig for information. This is one of the stories she tried to protect the bard
from. No one should ever go through what I did. And if Gabrielle is none
the wiser of such things, then she'll be happier and thank me in the end.
Xena tried to reason it out.

Gabrielle didn't
press the story. She knew that if Xena wanted to tell her, she would. It
must be something she cares not to remember, or at least doesn't want me to
know about in an effort to protect me. Gabrielle smiled slightly, but inwardly
cringed at the thought. Heroic deeds shattered and lay in ruins at her feet.

"Ares thought I
needed a lesson in humility," Xena said quietly as she turned her head to the
side Gabrielle was sitting on.

"Ares?" Gabrielle
repeated unbelieving. "Teaching humility?"

"Like I said, it's
a long story." Xena felt herself compelled to confide in her friend. I mean
that's what friends are for right? I don't have to tell her the whole story,
just the really humiliating parts. She truly has no idea who I was, maybe this
will shock her into reason. That I am dangerous to be around. There are those
who would see me dead and kill those near me without a second thought to do
the job. Ares especially.

Gabrielle began
to have second thoughts at hearing this story. Xena's reluctance to share it
should have been enough for Gabrielle to realize it was going to be messy and
painful for Xena to tell and her to hear. Why do I always have to kick a
dead dog? she asked herself. Her answer was cut short by Xena's deep throaty
voice.

"Anyway, because
I wouldn't destroy a certain village in a particular way that he wanted me to,
he told me I was acting like a disobedient child and decided to punish me accordingly."
Xena continued, all but melting under the warm hands and firm fingers still
stroking her thighs.

Gabrielle's eyes
widened. "What did he do?" She heard Xena clear her throat.

Well, here
it goes. "He had this belt...that.. he used to hold the scabbard for
his sword at his side. It was big. Wide and thick and it had a buckle in the
shape of a ram forged by Hephaestus."

Xena felt Gabrielle's
hands stop as she listened to the story. She shifted under them slightly when
she began to feel the heat that they gave off. Xena slipped her arms up under
the pillow and squeezed it to her face.

"He was so angry.
Angrier than I have ever seen him. He easily took my wrists between the fingers
of his left hand and pushed me across the corner of a table. He pulled a small
blade out and cut my clothes away." Xena fell silent, her memory drifted on
though. After a moment she continued, her voice low and cautious. "He took his
sword from it's scabbard, and I thought he would surely kill me. He had a fire
in his eyes, and insane fire. But he just set the sword aside and loosened the
belt. He let the scabbard drop away and he took both ends into his hand."

Xena opened her
eyes. She could hear Gabrielle's breathing. The weight of her upper body supported
by the hands resting on Xenas thighs. Xena groaned inwardly at the feather
light pressure.

"Tell me he didn't?"
Gabrielle finally asked.

Xena was quiet for
a moment, then she turned her head back to the wall and closed her eyes.

"He did," she swallowed.
"He thrashed me 'til I bled and when I cried out he thrashed me more." She listened
for Gabrielle's breathing before continuing. "The one end with the buckle got
away from him and that's what cut me."

Xena could feel
the story sinking into her companion. She could almost see the disbelief in
her face and pain in her eyes.

"Oh, Xena," was
all she could manage when she found her voice. "Thats horrible."

Xena smiled into
the pillow. "Which part? Being spanked by a god or having a god feel the need
to do so?"

Gabrielle's jaw
fell. "Both." She shivered uncontrollably. "What did he want you to do to that
village?"

"You don't want
to know," Xena felt comfortable enough with Gabrielle to reveal that humiliating
tale, but there were some things she would never be comfortable talking about
with anyone, even the bard. "I don't want you to know."

Gabrielle immediately
felt their trust compromised.

"It's to protect
you, Gabrielle," Xena told her knowing what the bard would be thinking. "I don't
ever want it to happen to you."

Gabrielle's eyes
drifted over Xenas back. "I guess I never really realized some of the
things you have been through," she just couldn't find the words.

"You don't have
to feel sorry for me," Xena lifted her head slightly.

"I," Gabrielle felt
her heart roll over in her chest. "I just want to help soothe old scars." she
finally admitted softly.

Xena swallowed her
own heart back down for the second time that night. "You have," she whispered.
"You do."

Gabrielle looked
at her then down at her hands. Her chore forgotten during the tale, she had
lifted her weight up and moved her fingers to the outside of Xena's hips under
the towel mindlessly. She stopped abruptly when she realized what she was doing
and found herself staring at the towel covering the aforementioned flesh. I
wonder.

"You alright?" Xena
asked.

Gabrielle flashed
her eyes up to Xena's brunette head. "Yeah, I was just thinking..."

Xena smiled to herself.
Yeah, I know what you were just thinking. She shifted to
pull the pillow away from her face. "No." she stated flatly.

Gabrielle looked
at her confused for a second. "No what?" She began to pull her hands away.

"No, there aren't
any scars there. There's only the one." Xena answered.

Gabrielle blushed
slightly. How did she know that was what I was thinking?
"Yeah, well, I don't remember ever seeing any." she said so quietly, Xena had
to strain to hear her.

"What?"

Gabrielle recovered
quickly. "I said that's good."

Xena released a
breath. "Yeah, I guess so. You can't sell damaged goods, you know." she joked.

"Ah," Gabrielle
swatted at her. "How can you say that?" She replaced her hands on the warrior's
thighs as she rolled over under the towel.

"If I didn't laugh
about it, I'd go insane," she admitted, draping a forearm across her eyes.

There was an uncomfortable
silence between them. Gabrielle was finding it hard to look at Xena except at
the graceful line of her arm where it meets the shoulder and neck.

"You scared me tonight,"
She admitted to the warrior. When Xena didn't answer, Gabrielle placed her hand
on her belly. Xena flinched uncontrollably. Gabrielle waited. "I thought you
might really be hurt by the way you looked when you came in."

Xena dropped her
arm to cover a small hand with her own. "I'm sorry, Gabrielle." She said with
apologetic eyes. They stared at each other.

So blue.
Gabrielle thought. I could just drown in them.

"I know I put you
through a lot," Xena's face bent in frustration. Her heart felt like breaking
and yet she wasn't quite sure why. "I don't know why you hang around."

"You know why I
hang around," Gabrielle moved to kneel on the floor near Xena's head. She put
her other hand out to touch her dark, damp hair and let it run through her fingers.

Xena obeyed out
of sheer exhaustion. After awhile, as she crept closer to the edge of sleep,
she felt the tender pressure of Gabrielle's lips on her own. She thought the
kiss might have lingered, but she wasn't sure. She thought she felt a calming
hand stroke her stomach, but uncertainty pushed it from her mind. As she fell
into the darkness of slumber, she thought she might have pulled Gabrielle's
body down onto her own, but sleep remembered it only as a dream.

********

Knuckles whitened
around the hilt as Xena's blade found purchase in flesh and bone with a decapitating
swing that left her right hip and finished over her left shoulder.

One last, mighty
push of the headless heart brought a fountain of crimson to Xena's exposed throat
and chest.

As the blood slid
over her breasts and into the valley between, she spun to face the approach
of a battle axe. Dropping back to her left, her eyes followed the path of the
blurred blade as it breezed past her.

That was
too close. her mind screamed. Closer than anything has ever
come.

Gripping her sword
with both hands, she retaliated with an upward swing that landed with a solid,
debilitating crunch to the attacker's elbows.

A sharp pain then
twisted into her right shoulder and she fell to one knee. Looking up over the
injury, she saw a sword making a finishing swing at her head.

Lifting her own
sword, hilt up, she thrust it in the direction of the stroke and braced for
the impact. The deflection sent her to the earth. Rolling onto her back, she
made a determined thrust upward into the star- filled sky. She felt the tremendous
weight impaled on the other end come crashing down onto her. With a deafening
groan, she struggled out from under it.

Xena was nearing
the limit of her ability to defend herself. She had been on the defensive the
whole fight and just barely been able to do that. Her arms burned and legs trembled
beneath her and fingers held her sword in a death grip. Her vision was obscured
by blood and sweat and the darkness of the vale under a moonless heaven.

So this
is it? She thought. This is the battle field where I will
finally lay down. Not too bad, suits me fine. Its beautiful here. Stream
nearby, forest stretching into the west and mountains pushing up into the starry
east. This would be a peaceful place to feel the last drop of life spill from
my arteries.

A bowstring brought
taught echoed in her ears and with a instinctive jump, she hurled herself into
the cool night air as the arrow sailed under. Taking her chakrum from her side,
she sent it spinning towards an invisible assailant before her feet even returned
to the ground. Hearing a surprised cry as the weapon introduced itself to the
archer, she nodded to herself.

"But tonight's not
the night."

A quiet then fell.
She turned in all directions prepared for another onslaught and was relieved
to find on one else standing. With a heavy sigh she sheathed her sword and looked
at the scene at her feet.

Bodies were strewn
everywhere, some moving, some silent, all unable to pose any kind of threat
towards the Princess. She strode past, her eyes glancing around until she came
to the sniper.

Reaching down to
pull the embedded chakrum from the mans abdomen, she heaved upwards and
the body came with it. After three or four pulls, it took a great yank with
two hands and a foot planted on the chest to dislodge the steel circle.

Wiping it unceremoniously
on the body's clothing, she returned it to her hip and then turned to inspect
the carnage once more.

I'm getting
too old for this. She thought wearily. Unable to stand any longer
she collapsed to the ground, chest heaving from exertion.

"This is
the last time I try to out drink a whole fucking platoon." she determined out
loud as she thought about the events that had brought her to this bloody vale...

********

She had finished
with Argo just as the sun was making it's way behind the trees. Dusty and sweaty
from the heat of the stalls, she headed towards the rain barrel at the corner
of the barn. She removed her arm bracers and gauntlets and thrust her arms into
the water. Cooling herself in the rain water, she scrubbed the dirt away, then
splashed her face, neck and chest. With the help of an old rag, she dried off
as she stood in the shade the building created.

Feeling refreshed,
she looked around the main street of Pardum. It was a small town, with all the
structures placed in a circle around two main roads that crossed through the
center of the marketplace. The market took up a considerable amount of the center
of the town itself and it was easy to see that the town had really been built
around it, and it had come after the roads had been made. At the center of the
market was the temple fountain of Demeter and around it on four sides were the
other patron gods of the town. Near the stables, smithy, tannery and mills was
a statue of the god Hephaestus. To the north of him across the street was an
image of Aphrodite and across the street from her, Hera, and opposite her was
Apollo who sat cleverly in line with the setting and rising sun. It sat behind
him and rose to his stone gaze. The late summer sun was glaring near his shoulder
and it cast rays off of his head and towards the fountain. The water sparkled
as it cascaded over Demeter's hands as she knelt to bless the liquid.

Xena had been impressed
by the layout of the town and it only frustrated her further to see that it
was easily defensible and yet these people did nothing to stop the army that
was harassing their peace and harmony. There was something definitely going
on under the surface of this city. The so called protection was
no more than a mild bother, or it should have been only that to a town of this
size. But they were allowing it to happen. Maybe, they really did want Diphobus'
services and maybe he only wanted the easy collection of cash, but Xena was
reluctant to consider that knowing her opponent well. Too easy and
he never does anything the easy way. Always clever and cryptic and elaborate.
On the other hand, this town didn't have a militia. Maybe it was neglected
in the original plan or they just felt they really didn't need one. But
I don't believe that, either. It's all very strange. And I'm going to find out
what's going on here. There are people who will talk if given the right incentive.
She smiled at her joke about what Gabrielle called her 'pinch interrogations.

"Gabrielle." She
said as she watched the sun sink behind Apollo and throw an ethereal light around
him. I think she won't mind terribly to stay here until I do a little
routing around. Plenty of shops to keep her busy and Gods' know we need a rest.
The whole year has been nothing but nonstop. One thing after another and all
of it beyond imagining. I never would have thought that we could do the things
that we did to each other. I know why she protected the damn child, but she
should have trusted my judgement. I guess I lost that back in Britannia when
the demon was born. Then I tried to destroy her. She shouldn't have trusted
me anymore. But she did. She refused to believe my vision of that mountain.
She found her path and lost it defending me. Gods, I even tried to drag her
into hell with me. More reason not to trust me. She told me we could just start
over, but it's not that easy.

Xena turned away
from the statue and blinked the brightness of the sun from her eyes. She began
to walk towards the fountain and found herself captivated by it. The water descended
from a jar on the goddess right shoulder and spilled out onto an outstretched
hand that hovered over the pool. The fingers of the statue had been separated
and the palm placed up to cleverly disrupt the flow. It scattered across the
pool in drops both large and small. Xena watched it's plunge from the jar to
the hand and her thoughts drifted to her companion again.

We were
like that once. She thought of the two of them. We used to
rush into life like the water from that jar. We were happy, well, I was. Never
knew anyone that could make me feel so much joy and peace from simple words
and gestures. "It's the simple thing's in life, Xena". She told me that one
day a few years ago and I couldn't imagine what she meant by it. Then she showed
me. She had a lust for life just because she was alive. And soon I began to
learn how to live also. Her subtle direction and teachings went straight to
my heart, although she probably thinks they went right in one ear and out the
other. I should have told her. I should have told her how much she means to
me. But I put it off, and then, Britannia and Dahok or was it Caesar? Both.
We both have to take the blame, I guess. My quest for Caesar gave opportunity
to Dahok. Now, like the water from that hand our lives are thrown into the hazard.
So many pieces I don't even know if we could find them all to put it back together.
I don't even know if she wants to. Gods know that I want to try if she'll give
me the chance.

Xena straightened
her back and pursed her lips at the pool. She turned and strode away towards
the nearest tavern. Stepping up to it's door which was propped open to allow
for air circulation, she stepped through and stood momentarily to adjust to
the lower light. Sweeping her eyes across the tables to calculate the nature
of the patrons, she determined this was not the tavern of soldiers. She moved
to the bar and catching the eye of the maid behind it with the flash of a coin,
she turned to look at the crowd. Not very large, only six or seven men that
occupied three tables. Two at two separate tables and three at the other. They
were farmers and mill workers. Common citizens here to relax from the days labor
and cool off from the heat.

"What'll it be?"
the barmaid asked.

Xena turned to look
at her. "Ale." She stated flatly. The woman nodded and went to fetch it. Upon
returning, she traded the mug for a coin from the stack Xena had placed on the
bar and then went to tend the others.

Xena closed her
eyes as the dark liquid quenched the dryness in her throat.. A dryness she didn't
realize was there until she opened her mouth to answer the serving girl. Finishing
the ale, she placed it at the edge of the bar opposite her. She leaned her elbows
on the edge nearer and let her head sag a little between her shoulders. Her
thoughts were unusually nagging and the warrior was tired of the direction they
seemed to be taking of late. Fingering the coins before her, she knew that those
thoughts had always been there, if only in the back of her mind, but always
there. She had had the willpower to keep them at bay before, and now...now it
seemed to be all she thought about.

"Another?" the bar
maid asked. Xena simply pushed another coin in her direction and never looked
up.

So why
now? She wondered. I've never had a problem with this before.
But I've never felt this way before, either. Xena reached for the
mug and took a cleansing swallow. So what is the problem, here? It's
not because of Solon. I've already forgiven her for that. I know it wasn't really
her fault. So, there really shouldn't be anything between us any more, but there's
still something that keeps us apart. She used to sleep beside me every night.
We eventually combined our bedrolls since we sleep so close, it was, what...
to keep warm, or to be there when the other had a nightmare? Or was it something
much more complicated?. Something that was deeper than either of us was really
aware of? Ever since Illusia, we have slept in our own blankets, but close,
just not skin to skin like before. Close enough to feel the other shift in her
sleep, but not able to feel the rise and fall of the other's breathing. So,
what is it that keeps me restless at night and distant in the daylight with
thoughts of her? Gods, I think about her all the time. Even when she is right
in front of me, I can't concentrate. She distracts me.

Xena turned that
over in her mind for a minute, fueling the thought with another swallow of the
warm ale. She stared down into the mug and watched as she swirled the cup around.
"She does distract me."

"What's that?" the
bar maid leaned in the warrior's direction, ready to get another drink for her.

Xena shook her head
at her with a dismissing wave of her hand. Okay. Let's go with this.
She distracts me. How does she do that? Well...

Xenas brows
bent in frustration at not being able to answer her own question. She
just does. I know she doesn't do it on purpose.

"I know she hasn't
a clue that she even makes me feel this way." Xena said.

"And how is it that
she makes you feel?" the bar maid asked her as she neared the leaning warrior.
Xena looked at her, unaware she had even spoken out loud. The bar maid wiped
the counter in front of her and put another mug of ale down on it.

"You said that she
didn't have a clue she made you feel this way. What way is that?"

Xena wanted to brush
the woman off but found herself looking for the answer instead.

"I'm not sure. It's...a
little complicated."

"Love always is,
sweetheart. They make it that way so you cherish it more when you find it."
The woman stated simply and then moved on to other customers. Xena was left
staring at the empty space where she had stood.

Love? That's
not it. She knows that I love her and I know that she loves me, I think. Maybe
that's it. I don't know if she still loves me. She certainly doesn't touch me
anymore. Doesn't want to be near me. When I get up the courage to reach out
to her, she flinches or moves away quickly. Like she doesn't want to be near
me. Xena felt her heart constrict in her chest. I wouldn't
blame her if she doesn't even like me anymore. I don't like me. I tried to murder
her for Ares' sake. She should hate me. But she is still with me. She still
follows me around...

"Or do I
follow her, now?"

Xena was getting
confused and now she had to face the fact that Gabrielle may not want to be
with her and just couldn't find a way to tell her. Maybe I should just
leave and make it easy for her. Xena thought about it for a heartbeat
before shaking her head. Yeah, like I could do that. It would be like
cutting out my heart. So, I'm back at the beginning.

"And where was that?"
She asked herself. Love. So, I can't leave her. I can't live without
her and I can't live like we have been, close but not touching. It's killing
me. I'd die without her and yet I feel myself dying with her. Gods, this can't
go on.

Xena pushed up from
the counter abruptly. She finished the ale in one swallow and then downed the
other. I need a distraction of my own.

She left two coins
on the bar and headed for the door. As she stepped out onto the street she saw
the sun was down and evening was blanketing the market place. She glanced around
and then made a deliberate path to the Fireside Inn.

Several blocks later
she found the establishment busy with the late crowds. Some loitering outside
and in the doorway, these she had to push past as she headed for the common
room. Once there she saw the reason for the swelling throng and smiled the first
heartfelt smile she had had in weeks.

There in the center
of the room was her friend. On a table hastily made into a stage, she sat, cross-legged.
There were chairs all around her with a body in each one. When the chairs were
taken, they had crammed themselves onto table tops and others littered the stairway
to the sleeping rooms. Standing room only. Xena thought.
Just the way it should be.

The bard was engaged
in a re- telling of the story of Bacchus, the God of wine and his Maenads. With
her attention on the description of the ceremonies the Maenads would make to
their God, Gabrielle had entrapped her audience with detailed accountings down
to the naked dances and frenzied orgies they would engage in. The crowd was
all but mesmerized by the bard and she by them. Her voice adjusted to the people
in the back even as they pressed closer. They hung on her every syllable and
swayed to her meter as she told with such passion of the blood sacrifices and
unnatural metamorphoses that consumed the Bacchae.

Xena continued to
smile as she threaded her way closer. When she realized she would get no closer
to her friend, she stopped and stood to listen with them.

Gabrielle worked
the crowd effortlessly. She was surprised that she no longer felt the stage
fright she once did. She held the audience and fed from them, giving them what
they gave her in return. The wonderful feeling of hearing a good story. She
swept the throng with her eyes, seeking to connect with each pair, watching
for reactions and adjusting to the atmosphere easily. Her eyes fell on two that
stared back with another kind of gaze. Pride. She smiled at Xena and raised
a hand slightly towards her. Xena lifted her head in acknowledgement and raised
her eyebrows. She looked around the room and then shook her head at the bard,
who simply shrugged slightly and smiled in return.

After a while, Xena
worked her way to the bar and found the barman.

"What can I get
you, warrior?"

"Something to write
on?" Xena asked hopefully.

The man studied
her for a moment then turned to the task. He returned with a small scrap of
papyrus with writing on one side, but placed it down so that Xena could see
that the other side was empty, and handed her a quill.

"Thanks," she said
and bent to scrawl a note to the bard. She then flagged the man back over and
handed him the note. "Can you give this to the bard when she is finished?"

He looked at her.

Xena stretched her
hand out and gave him two dinars. "I'd really appreciate it." The man took the
dinars, the note and the quill and gave her an exasperated look to which she
smiled sweetly.

Then she plowed
her way to the door and went to search for some soldiers.

********

"Little miss?"

Gabrielle turned
to the voice and was greeted by a meaty hand sticking something into her chest.
She took the scrap and questioned him with her eyes.

"That big warrior-type
asked me to give you this." He said, and mission accomplished, left her to her
reading.

Gabrielle looked
at the scrap over in her hands. Tomatoes, corn...huh? She
turned it over and smiled. Ahhh. It read...

"You seem to know
how to attract a crowd, and you still have your clothes on, funny that."

Gabrielle
chuckled. Xena was recalling a very interesting encounter last year when a very
drunk bard decided it was little to warm for clothes and stripped her top off
to the pleasure of drunken patrons. Xena had let her dance around in a circle
for all of five seconds before she grabbed the bards top, then thebard.
She had thrown her over her shoulder much to the delight of the crowd and the
bard and headed for their room.

Gabrielle smiled
to herself. They probably thought she took me up to the room to ravish
me. Not that I would have minded, but I would have rather been sober to remember
it the next morning.

She returned her
attention to the note.

"I'm going to do
some poking around in the local taverns.

A man named Diphobus
is here making some trouble, has a camp nearby. Know him from way back.
Just want to check up on a hunch. Don't wait up."

X

Gabrielle
smiled. Guess she's off to find some trouble. Let's see if I can make
my own kind of trouble. Minus the naked dancing, of course. The bard
shook her head at herself and headed for the bar for a late dinner.

********

Xena bellied up
to a bar herself. She had come across this one on her third try and found it
was liberty heaven for soldiers and warriors alike. It was just her type of
place, too. Dark and smelly, lots of veteran fighters, like herself, engaged
in all manner of festivity. Be it drinking, arm wrestling, cards, or the occasional
bar brawl, she was in her element here. Lots of beautiful women moving from
lap to lap, the majority were bare breasted and one was completely naked. Xena
smiled her appreciation at the show and suddenly wished for those days with
her army before the real corruption began. Before Ares got a hold of her.

She surveyed the
crowd once more assessing the dangers and finding the exits. It was a packed
house. These men were definitely Diphobus' men. Most of them anyway. The others
were no name's or trying to make a name and just here to blow off some steam.
No real threats, or nothing she couldn't handle without breaking a real sweat.
So she turned to the bar and slammed a handful of dinars on the counter and
with a smile, launched into full Warrior Princess mode.

"What the Hades
do you have to do to get a port around here," she bellowed out. She got some
grunts of approval thrown at her and a few whistles, and more than a few assessing
stares. She ignored them and tapped her hand irritably on the counter.

A young bar maid,
barely old enough to have her moon let alone tend this tavern of debauchery
came to get her order.

"Yes, warrior, what'll
it be?"

"Port." Xena said
"And keep them coming." She tapped the stack of coins and watched as the girl
went to the keg. Upon returning, the girl took the coin and watched as Xena
pounded the port down. She shook her head at the warrior and went to fetch another.

Xena shook her shoulders
to settle to burn of the alcohol and then turned to face the room. As she gazed
out she made eye contact with several soldiers. Assuming she was giving a signal
they would have to be dead to refuse, each one stood to make his way to her
only to realize in the next heart beat they would find themselves dead if they
did.

Xena gave her best
'move and regret it' look and came away the victor. One big guy thought he would
try his luck and after adjusting his leather and armor a bit, he made an attempt
to run his hand through his hair and steered towards her.

Xena had turned
her attention back to the bar as the fresh port arrived and was in mid swallow
when she felt the man come up behind her. She manage to finish the swallow and
fight the rising bile at the same time. The smell drew her lip up uncontrollably
as he leaned on the bar next to her.

He placed one hand
on the bar and then extended a finger to drift over the soft flesh of her upper
arm. He grinned at his own bravado and shot a look back at the table where his
friends were snickering their encouragement. He looked back at the warrior and
dropped his touch lower on her arm.

Xena resisted the
urge to flatten his huge nose right to his face and merely regarded her mug
of port. "Something you like to say to me?"

"Oh, yeah." he snorted.
"How about you and me go upstairs and burn off some of this alcohol."

"You need to burn
off more than alcohol, tubby." She readied for the angry blow but it never came.
She heard his friends laugh at her joke but he took it all in stride.

"I'm a...large man,
this is true, but that just means there's more of me to love. More than enough
for you, beautiful." He continued to stroke the one finger up and down her arm.

"Why don't you go
find someone else to help you work off your excess...spirit, friend. You're
more man than Id ever care to handle." She shifted her arm away from his
touch and took another swallow from her port.

The soldier held
his ground and shot another look of determination to his friends. He did withdraw
his finger but leaned in closer to Xena until he was pressed up against her
arm.

"I don't think you
heard me right, wench." he said sweetly. "I asked you to come work up a sweat
with me. That means you and me, together. Unless you'd like some more
company, I think I can...arrange that." He smiled at her as he waited for her
to answer.

Xena took the last
swig of her port and then pushed away from the bar. "As in, you and me?" She
asked him, turning her eyes on him at last.

He nodded.

"As in, you and
me." He confirmed.

Xena allowed her
eyes to drift over the man's visage in apparent size-up. "Let me give you a
little insight, friend." she finally said.

"First of all I
don't even like men. Second, you are the poorest excuse for the male species
that I have ever seen. I mean, look at you. You have terrible manners, disgusting
breath, no teeth, what...had planned on gumming me to orgasm? And whoever designed
your uniform has no sense of fashion, your sword is rusty, your boots have holes
in them, there are creatures setting up house in your hair, there's yesterday's
dinner in your beard, guess you're saving that for later, huh? You're ugly,
fat, and...you smell. I mean you aren't even interesting enough to make me sick."
Xena halted her catalog long enough for the man to take inventory of himself.

He then looked at
her and extended his hand. "So...let's go. Yeah?

"Not in your wildest,
wet dreams, pal. Now go away before I make you go away." Xena dismissed him
with a turn of her head and reached for a new mug of port. The bar had fallen
silent in anticipation.

The man stood there
regarding her for a moment and when she didn't make a move in his direction,
he reached out to hurry her along.

The last thing he
saw was a vision of a goddess descending upon him from on high.

Xena caught his
hand as he reached for her and brought her knee up to meet his elbow. After
a satisfying snap, she maneuvered him, face first into the bar and then slammed
her mug of port into his dazed face. He slumped, unconscious, to the floor with
a thud. Xena straightened her shoulder and took in the crowd.

"Any more would-be
suitors?" she asked darkly.

When they all went
back to their previous conversations and activities, she smirked. She then reached
down and found his coin purse. "I think you owe me a drink, pal."

She returned to
her spot at the bar and was met by another mug of port. She flashed a smile
of thanks at the bar maid who merely shook her head and returned to her duties.
She looked up when she felt someone else behind her.

The man's friends
were picking him up and shuffling him to the door. One lingered near her as
he supervised the effort.

"Are you always
this uptight?" he asked her casually.

"Is your friend
always that stupid?" She countered.

His shoulders shook
with a laugh. "That's to be sure. All brawn no brain. You know, the type."

"Yeah, I know the
type." She wondered at his refusal to include himself in the category. She studied
him further. He was tall, nice looking, actually very handsome. Blondish hair
and with green eyes that practically sparkled. Clean complexion and clean uniform.
Spotless skin. Maybe he wasn't in that category after all. There was something
about him that she found familiar, but she couldn't quite put her finger on
it.

"Well, I guess they
took care of him." the man continued as he watched his friends reenter the tavern
and take up their seats once more.

"What did they do
with him?" Xena asked as she watched their return.

"Left him out by
the horses. He'll be safe there. Who says you have to leave when someone decides
to take a nap?" He looked at her and found that he actually had her attention.
Growing bolder he gave her a smile that she felt compelled to return.

"Buy you another
port?" He offered.

Xena considered
it. There didn't appear to be any one else worth looking at and talking to at
the same time and she had to get her foot in the door or she would never find
out what Diphobus was up to. So, nodding her assent, she made a space at the
bar for him.

"Name's Gardus,"
he reached out his forearm to her.

She eyed him a second
the reached to take his arm. "Xena." She watched his eyes widen and a smile
form on his face.

"The Xena?"

She just looked
at him. "Ya got a problem with that?"

He shook his head.
"Hell no. Damn, the warrior princess, right here in front of me. Gods, I'm surprised
you let ol' Framinius off with just a nap."

"Framinius? Oh,...stupid.
Yeah, well,...just his lucky day, I guess." Xena sipped her port and cringed
slightly as she felt his continued stare.

"May I?" He indicated
towards the bar.

Xena shrugged her shoulders
and watched as he sat on a high stool beside her. 'What is it about him?
He doesn't look the type to be hanging around Diphobus' bunch. But looks can
be deceiving. Gabrielle sure looks unassuming but interrupt her dinner and she's
a harpy.'

Xena held that thought
as Gardus lifted his mug in salute to her and flashed a beautiful smile, which
was salute enough in her mind. 'Just like Gabrielle.' Then it hit her.
'Just like Gabrielle.' She repeated to herself as she looked at him.
She mentally shook her head and dropped her eyes. 'Holy Helmet of Athena.
I'm in love.' She stated simply. 'Terribly and irreversibly in love.'

"Hey?" Gardus leaned
towards her a little. "You alright?"

Xena looked at him.
"Yeah." She raised her own mug in salute and allowed the brown liquid a slow
descent as she picked up the pieces of her mind. 'Gods, what am I doing?
Can I be any more obvious? Next thing I know there will be birds singing and
little maids throwing rose petals at my feet. Well warrior, you've made yourself
a nice hole, now lets see if you can keep from pulling the dirt back in on you.'

"So, Gardus," She began.
"What's there to do around here for fun?"

"Well, now, that all
depends on what you consider fun." Gardus said with a grin. "Now, me and the
fellas, we have all kinds of fun. Doesn't take much to entertain drunks." He
watched Xena, gauging her reaction. When he received a slightly curious shift
in her eyes, he smiled. "You up for our kind of fun, warrior princess?"

Xena gathered her dinars,
then pushed away from the bar and settled her shoulders.

"Lead on."

Gardus stood and plowed
a way through the crowd to the table his friends were occupying.

Oblivious to their arrival,
the four soldiers continued their discussion until Gardus cleared his throat
to gain their attention.

"Boys, I want you to
meet a friend." He said cautiously but with a smile. His friends fell quiet
and all eyes went to the warrior princess. "This is Xena, Destroyer of Nations."

There was evident pride
in his introduction, but inwardly Xena cringed at it. It was a part of her past
and one that she would rather have forgotten but her infamy preceded her and
she knew she would never be completely rid of the terror a single title could
instill. This was one of the times she brandished her celebrity. She would need
to convince these soldiers she was one of them, if not a leader of an army similar
to the one they belonged to. Reputation can be as smart a weapon as charisma,
and she had plenty of both.

She stood silently and
sized them up as they eyed her curiously. They were big men, all well-armoured,
strong and weathered. These weren't rookie fighters, these were seasoned veterans
who had seen and contributed their fair share of destruction. Xena knew she
needed to be on her toes and pushed all the preoccupations of the earlier day
from her mind to have it braced for any sign of trouble. All at once she found
it. In the eyes of the soldier opposite the table from her. His dislike was
apparent in his face although he made no move towards his weapons. Xena leveled
her gaze right at him.

Gardus watched the warriors
stare and felt the air fairly sizzle with tension.

"If only Fram' had known
who he was talking to, huh?" He attempted to alleviate the hostility but to
no avail. "On second thought, he might be pushing up daisies instead of napping."
Gardus said under his breath.

"You lookin' to add
your name to that list?" Xena asked without so much as batting a eye.

When the soldier made
a move to stand, Gardus jumped in.

"Now wait a minute Metis,
she'll tear you apart and you know it. Now let's just all calm down and be sensible
about this. Alright? Listen, now, she was just looking for some fun and I asked
her to join us. Nothing but warriors throwing back a few and sharing war stories,
right?" He glanced over at Xena for silent and hopeful confirmation. She nodded
once very slowly, her eyes never leaving Metis'.

"Right, now, make some
room and let's drink." Gardus moved a chair from another table and pushed it
towards Xena. She waited for Metis to settle back down into his chair and then
joined them. As his friends returned to their previous conversation, Gardus
gave her an apologetic smile to which she raised an eyebrow. He only smiled
brighter and Xena felt herself relax just a bit.

"So, what is your pleasure,
Xena? Another port?" He leaned towards her as the barmaid arrived.

"Sure," She threw her
dinars into the pile near the center of the table. "You keep some interesting
friends, Gardus."

He smiled into his drink.
"Oh, don't mind Metis. He's just jealous. Hates to see women with bigger arms
than his own. Gives him a complex."

Xena shot another glance
towards Metis as fresh port was placed before her. She couldn't tell for sure
but knew nonetheless that the man would be trouble. It was one of those gut
feelings she always gets when meeting someone for the first time. 'First
impressions are always lasting impressions. And I make it a rule never to trust
anyone who calls me a bitch in the first five seconds. Call it veracity after
that, if you live long enough to get to now me that well.'

"So what brings you
guys here? You on leave or just off duty?" Xena asked trying to keep from sounding
investigative.

"Off duty, thank the
Gods. 'Bout time, too. I just came off of a forty-eight hour watch. I tell you,
I really needed this tonight." Gardus lifted his mug a drank copiously from
it.

Xena nodded in sympathy."Know
how that can be. What rank are you? Surely you can assign someone else to take
your watches."

Gardus beamed at the
assumption that he was an officer, despite it's inaccuracy. He wasn't going
to tell her he was only a grunt and a yeoman at that. The warrior princess would
certainly not find scroll work and watches very interesting. Oh, he had been
in battles and could hold his own but not nearly as much as the men beside him.
Now they were the true warriors. Trained to fight. Trained to kill. No, he was
just a lowly papyrus pusher with delusions of grandeur. He would never get Xena
into his bed if she knew his real rank so he did what any normal, hot-blooded
soldier would do. He lied his ass off.

"Well, sure, I could,
but I took the watch for another so he could go see his family, you know. Gets
real lonely when you're on a mission, so when the fellas get the rare opportunity
to have their wives visit, how can you say no. I mean, it really helps the morale.
Keeps the boys in line, if you know what I mean."

"That I do. Sounds like
you treat your men rather well. That might come in handy one day." Xena played
along and managed to not roll her eyes at his posturing. She had baited the
hook and now she had to stomach the catch.

"What do you mean?"
Gardus inquired.

"Well, I'm not saying
that there are any problems in your ranks but, there comes a time in every army
when a warrior feels like he deserves a little more...responsibility. And if
your superiors don't feel the same way, well it's always nice to have some loyal
men to back you up." Xena watched as he digested her comment. "Just in case."
She added as she swallowed her port.

Xena's attention was
diverted to the barmaid as she returned to refill their drinks. She was young
and quite attractive, with golden hair that was held away from her chest and
neck by a single band of leather tied loosely behind her head, the soft curls
drifting around and framing her face.

"Yes, well, I can see
where that might be handy. I'll keep that in mind." Gardus let the delusions
vault around in his head for a moment then looked at her intently.

"Mmmm, once or twice."
Xena answered. The barmaid leaned over Metis' shoulder and Xena was treated
to a view of the girl's ample bosom straining for liberation from her bodice.
Xena let her eyes soak up the sight as the girl reached over to fill another
mug. The warrior's gaze drifted up the slim neck and met the two smiling eyes
of it's owner. Without thought Xena licked her lips and watched the girl work
her way around the table. "But, they never achieved their goal." She offered
to Gardus.

"Why is that?" Gardus
lifted his mug to the barmaid as she neared, head inclined towards Xena.

"Because I killed them"
She stated flatly. As the maid came to her side of the table Xena leaned back
in the chair and smiled when she felt the girl lean against her and reach around
to fill the mug. The girl's breasts pressed firmly into an armored shoulder
and Xena couldn't still the shiver the contact created within her.

"With ambition comes
consequence, Gardus. It's not enough to want something. You have to be willing
to suffer the outcome as well." Gardus thought about her words as he studied
his port.

The double meaning was
not lost on the maid whose answer was to increase the pressure of her breasts
against the warrior and draw them teasingly along the back of her neck and through
ebony hair as she moved away. Xena looked up at the girl and received a smoldering
gaze with a sexy little smirk. She watched the girl's hips as they swayed back
to the bar, then turned her attention back to the table.

Gardus was oblivious
but the other soldiers had not missed the flirtation and they each smiled with
an inner knowledge that their friend was definitely going home alone this night.
Xena returned the smile slightly and swallowed a healthy bit of port to refocus
her mind.

"So, Xena," One of the
other soldiers spoke up. "Where is your army?"

The question brought
Gardus out of his reflection and he looked at her curiously.

"Amphipolis," Xena knew
this question was coming and had already prepared herself for the deception.
"They have holiday routine for the annual fall festival. Amphipolis gives quite
a party and my men needed a reprieve. Like you said before Gardus, it helps
morale following a long campaign."

"And where was your
campaign, Destroyer? I know of nothing in this area, or Greece for that matter.
In truth, I had heard rumors that you gave up our way of life after one of your
lieutenants overthrew you."

"Lausus," Gardus challenged.
"What do you think..."

"No, it's alright."
Xena cut him off. "You haven't heard of anything because we haven't been in
Greece. We spent the past year overseas. I had a debt to repay in the Kingdom
of Chinn."

"Chinn? Never heard
of it." Lausus disputed.

"Me either. Where is
that, Xena?" Gardus asked.

Xena was the picture
of calm. She knew this story well so remembering a lie wasn't going to be the
problem. Not revealing her uneasiness about the subject would take some acting.
The last thing she need right now was to start to think about Gabrielle and
that horrible trip across a foreign land. But her eyes would reveal nothing
to the soldiers and they would be forced to take her at her word or die calling
her a liar. She had the upper hand and she knew it so she closed the door Gabrielle
had built in her walls and threw the latch.

"It's in Asia. China
to be exact. A friend there needed some help so we packed up and took a road
trip."

"That must be a long
way from here. You took your whole army with you?" Gardus was unable to keep
the fascination from his voice. Xena gave him one of her slow grins.

"That must have been
expensive. How did you finance such a campaign? Even the great Xena doesn't
have that kind of dinars just laying around." This time it was Metis who spoke
up.

Xena considered him
over the edge of her mug. 'He's not that stupid. He's trying to catch me
off guard. This is the one of the big fish. He's probably their captain. I might
actually have to take him out early. An accident while doing sword drills, of
course. He just zigged when he should have zagged. Can't have anyone think I
would commit a murder in cold blood these days now can I.'

"Actually, Metis. The
key to financing a campaign is knowing how to use the resources of the objective.
Chinn is a very rich land. Not just in money, but in foods, livestock and other
laborers, all of which are just waiting for a warlord to put them to work. But
the one reason that I took my whole army with me is because Chinn has a unique
fighting style that I wanted my men to learn. Once I was sufficiently comfortable
with the army's new abilities we took over the palace and acquired the royal
treasury. You see, there is always a way to finance a campaign. And now my army
is much better equipped to handle other more...formidable campaigns."

"Who...like who?" Lausus
was just a bit concerned for his job security and would like to know a head
of time if the Destroyer was focusing in that general area.

Xena smiled. "Don't
worry, Lausus. I'm not going to overthrow your commander. Actually, I was just
thinking that an alliance might benefit my next campaign."

They all looked at her
waiting to know who would be the next nation to fall under the warrior princess'
boots and hopeful that they might actually be a part of it.

"Rome." Xena left nothing
to their imaginations. A single word was all that needed to be said and the
impact was unmistakable.

The soldier who had
sat quiet all evening now gave voice in a slow, grave whistle.

"Wow" Lausus contributed.
"That's..that's deep."

Gardus simply swallowed
a lump from his throat. All three soldiers looked to Metis who was staring right
at Xena.

He pondered it thoughtfully
for a few minutes before speaking. "That's very ambitious, even for you, princess.
And I think our commander might be interested in your offer, if, it is a legitimate
offer. You see we are extremely loyal to him, so if he orders us to follow you,
we, by our devotion to duty, will obey. But know this, Diphobus isn't a man
who likes to be played and we aren't soldiers who like to be unwitting pawns."

Xena inclined her head
to Metis. "If your leader, this Diphobus, will hear me, I think that an alliance
will benefit, not only our combined forces, but all of Greece. And isn't that
what we are all fighting for. A better homeland? Able to defend herself against
foreign invaders like Rome? Let's beat Rome to the punch and take them before
they take us. With my army and yours, we can stop them now before they turn
their imperial eyes toward our home, our Greece." Xena found herself giving
a speech that she honestly believed in. Her conviction was so strong that the
soldiers from other tables had paused to listen to her speak. Their eyes glazed
over with a promise of a better tomorrow. And when she had finished, her throat
constricted with an emotion she had to call up from a passion she thought she
had left in Britannia, the soldiers had stood to gather around the small table
and voiced their commitment to a new alliance with the warrior princess.

Metis watched the show
with cautious eyes. Xena could take over their army with ease and he knew it.
His only worry was when she was going to do it, before or after Rome.

Gardus barked out at
the barmaid to bring more drinks and slapped Xena on her shoulder. "See, I knew
we were going to have fun."

The warrior simply smiled
and watched as the barmaids moved furiously about the small common to top off
mugs and smirked as one in particular lingered at her table, personally filling
her mug.

Gardus stood before
anyone could taste the ale and cleared his throat.

"I think a toast is
in order." He smiled and lifted his mug. "Gentlemen?"

The soldiers erupted
into a well rehearsed response. "Fuck you."

Xena snorted and downed
her port. The blonde hovering close by filled it immediately, then turned to
everyone else at the table. Xena watched as the room quieted down and the soldiers
returned to their chairs. She met the gaze of Metis who raised his mug tentatively
in salute. She inclined her head once again and settled into her chair with
utter confidence. 'This is where it all starts to get tricky.' She thought.
'If I do this right, I find out what Diphobus is up to and I'll be one step
ahead of him when he realizes he's been duped. And that one step is all I need.'

"Xena, remind me never
to ask you what you really like to do for fun, eh?" Gardus shifted his chair
a little closer to the warriors and leaned in close to her. "If planning campaigns
takes this little effort, I'd hate to see you with tunnel vision."

"I didn't think this
up over night, Gardus." 'More like in two seconds. Great Gods, and I thought
Gabrielle could find trouble without asking. She's just going to love this story.'

When she allowed her
thoughts to linger just a little too long on her friend, she closed her eyes
momentarily to regain her control. At that same moment an opportunity was seized
and the warrior felt a very pleasing brush against her back. She smiled realizing
it was her personal barmaid once again filling her mug. When she opened her
eyes, Metis and Lausus were watching them. She glanced over at Gardus who was
in conversation with the other soldier. When she felt the girl move to her side
and lean over the table to fill their mugs, she let her eyes wander over the
girl's backside and then brought her gaze back up to Metis and Lausus. She watched
for their reactions when she reached her hand out and gripped the warm flesh
of the girl's thigh and tugged her into her lap. The girl wasn't surprised to
find herself deposited onto the gorgeous warriors lap and didn't offer a protest.
On the contrary, Xena was the one surprised when she found herself lip-to-lip
with the girl. After a moment she simply closed her eyes and proceeded to kiss
the girl soundly.

The girl found herself
on the receiving end of a frustrated warrior's attentions. Xena reached up to
the girl's head and took hold of it to control her movements, then without asking,
plunged her aching tongue past responsive lips. Xena ravished her mouth without
pause and only when she heard a small moan escape from the girl did she slow
her ministrations. Despite the obvious differences, the only thing Xena could
think of was Gabrielle and with that thought, she nursed sore lips tenderly
before pushing the flushed girl away. Xena had to blink several times to shake
the image from her mind and recover her constitution.

The laughter at the
table at the barmaid's obvious dilemma brought the warrior back to the present.
Gardus sat with his mouth agape which Lausus politely reached over and closed.
Metis continued to watch the warrior though. Xena knew this was a test all of
the sudden. Metis had taken Xena's moment of weakness and turned it into a test
of his faith. She swallowed her regret at having kissed the girl and let her
thoughts drift back to Gabrielle. She would understand. A warriors gotta
do what a warriors gotta do, right? Isn't that what she always says? Xena
pushed the girl up to straddle her lap, then took her wrists and shoved them
painfully behind her back. The girl squealed in discomfort but wasn't really
complaining.

"Oh, you like that don't
you?" Xena asked her. "Betcha like to be tied up, too. Tell me. Do you want
me to tie you up and have my way with you?" Xena brought her face in close to
the girl and pressed her lower body in against her armour. The girl moaned unabashedly
and dropped her head to the warrior's shoulder. Xena let her breath drift over
her captive's neck and chest and couldn't stop the smile that formed when she
inhaled the girl's passion. "Oh, you're wet aren't you?" She whispered so that
only the blonde could hear her. Xena sensed the shift within herself. It was
so subtle that she almost didn't feel it. This had been a way of life for her
and she fell back into it with such ease that it momentarily shocked her. She
pushed the girl away just enough to look in her eyes. Looking to see that fear
or doubt that would help her keep the demon at bay, but what she saw only fed
the beast and Xena was helpless against it. She was the warrior princess once
more.

Xena brought her right
hand across the girl's thigh and slid it down her leg, then lifted the hem of
the dress up into her lap. She felt the girl shiver when her hand slipped underneath
the fabric and smoothed over her heated skin. Xena dropped her head to the blonde's
cleavage and let her lips brush across the erupting swells. Drifting a finger
towards the girls center, she was met with a river and let a moan escape.

"Do you want this?"
She asked the young girl. "Do you want me to take you here, in this common?
In front of all these men?" Xena let her lips whisper over the enticing throat
as she spoke. When the girl simply moaned, Xena pulled her hand from under the
dress and grabbed a handful of hair. "I require an answer." She demanded.

The girl trembled uncontrollably.
Her eyes caught those of the warrior's and she realized she was being given
a chance to back down. She considered the humiliation of being taken in public
and weighed it against the pleasure such an act could deliver. Those wicked
blue eyes were boring holes into her soul and in them she saw a compassion so
undisguised, she knew that there would be only this one time when she could
live her fantasy without fear for her life. Silently she envied the one who
received that look on a day to day basis. With this she gave up the last ounce
of control she had and lowered her eyes from her deliverer's. Xena smiled at
the submission. She replaced her hand under the peasant dress and pulled the
girl closer to her.

"I wont hurt you," She
whispered into the young girl's neck. "Just relax," She pressed a finger into
the blonde's moist recesses and closed her eyes when the heavy head settled
onto her shoulder once more. She ran her finger through the wetness and touched
lightly on the swollen bud drawing another moan from the blonde. Extending her
tongue, the warrior tasted the skin beneath her lips and then opened her mouth
onto it. In calculated, even strokes, she pulled the flesh in and then released
it softly. Pushing her finger deeper into the girl's sex, she caressed the inner
lips firmly before circling the swollen bud. The blonde began to shift in her
lap, trying to guide the warrior's teasing digits.

Xena immediately stopped
her stroking and bit down on the salty skin under the young girl's jaw. Whimpering
in protest at the loss of sensation between her spread legs, she brought her
betraying body to a halt and was rewarded with a tender kiss against her chin
and lips by the warrior. Xena then resumed her exploration and recruited a second
finger in the effort. Sliding deliciously back and forth, grazing a throbbing
pebble on the upstroke, Xena urged her captive into a rhythm so achingly slow
there almost no perception of motion. Strong, white teeth raked over a delicate
collarbone before dropping lower to the soft flesh beneath. The rhythm accelerated
gradually by design until Xena felt a rush of liquid against her palm. She knew
the maid was ready and tested the small opening with a tentative fingertip.
Without warning, she pushed past the first ring and into the velvety warmth.

Shuddering muscles danced
around her finger. Xena knew that her goal was only a few strokes away, but
she played it out, hoping to give the girl something other than the shame to
remember in the nights to come. So careful was she not to cause any trauma or
damage to the girl's sex. So attentive was she to every moan, shiver and gasp
that anyone just walking into the tavern would have thought them to be lovers.
Xena's mind sought out Gabrielle as she worked another finger into the saturated
cave. Her heart constricted painfully at the thought of holding Gabrielle so
intimately. Sharing herself so casually with her friend brought a timid sob
that she quickly bit back. Her young captive heard the quiet gasp and pressed
her lips against the beautiful warrior's cheek. She dropped another kiss onto
an ebony blanket near her temple and then placed her lips close to the warrior's
ear.

"Do it." She pleaded.
"Please."

Xena felt the request
pound in her head and began to pump her fingers to match ragged breathing. As
the pace continued, the girl drew back and gripped both of Xena's shoulders
to center her struggles for release. Xena looked up at the rosy face, brow damp
with exertion and features slack in ecstasy. She added her thumb to the frenzy
and rubbed the girl's clit in time to her plunging fingers. She let the blonde
take control of the thrusts and simply enjoyed watching as the pace slowed and
then picked up sporadically.

The girl was no virgin.
She knew what felt good and how to prolong it. Xena felt a little relieved and
began to enjoy the feeling as the girl rode her lap. She felt for the smooth
spot, deep within the void and brought her fingertips to bear on it. Fingernails
cut into her shoulder where her armor exposed her neck so she moved her free
hand up the girls back to press her upper body closer for support as the girl's
crisis neared. Unable to still the roaming hand, she stroked the young girl's
sides and then gripped her hip for the last few thrusts. With a name reverently
whispered, Xena latched onto the throat before her and branded her mark into
the sweet skin.

The girl threw her head
back as the waves crested, slamming into her like the sea against the shore.
With every wave, it brought another behind it until the sand of her beach gave
way and she dissolved into a froth in Xena's arms. Shuddering and gasping in
recovery, the blonde rested her forehead against the armored shoulder. Xena
waited for the the young blonde to regain some of her cognizance and then slid
her fingers from their prison. A soft rush of air accompanied a tremor and with
weary eyes, the conquered looked upon the conqueror. Xena gave a small but rejuvenating
smile and the girl returned it. It was their secret. Two fantasies shared. The
girl stood casually and without a backward glance went to the back room of the
tavern.

"Well, that was quite
a show you put on." Lausus praised her.

Xena simply raised her
fingers to her mouth and finished what she had started.

"So, are we going to
go see this commander of yours or what?"

Metis laughed out loud.
"Fired up now, aren't ya? It's a little late to see Diphobus. But I will talk
to him tomorrow and send you word about a meeting. Oh, and don't worry about
Framinius, we'll take him back with us." With that said Metis stood and he and
his silent friend took their leave of the table.

Xena dared a glance
at Gardus who shook his head at her. Lausus huffed into his mug as he drank.

"What?" Xena asked in
all innocence. "Do I have something on my face?":

The two busted into
immediate laughter, accompanied by a dark liquid that sprang unceremoniously
from Lausus' nose. Xena frowned in disgust and waited for their childish giggles
to subside.

"Gardus, you talked
about some fun. Care to take that on the road?"

He regarded her thoughtfully.
"Where did you have in mind?"

"Let's go for a ride."
She stood and gathered a few of her dinars and went to the bar to get two wineskins
to take with them. When she returned to the table she found the two just where
she had left them staring after her. "You coming?" She asked and headed for
the door.

Gardus and Lausus gave
each other a look then followed the warrior into the street. Xena had already
mounted Argo, so she waited until there were in their own saddles and then headed
out of town towards the river.

After a while of riding
through the forest and passing the wineskin around, Xena decided to press the
advantage.

"Hey, Gardus," She called
over her shoulder. "Tell me about this Diphobus."

Gardus had slouched
forward in his seat and as he raised his head to respond to the question he
teetered off the side to land on the ground solidly. Xena pulled up when she
heard Lausus laughing. She turned Argo back towards the two and dismounted to
help Gardus to his feet.

"Had a little too much
to drink, huh? Here we go." She hefted him up and sat him down onto a fallen
tree branch. He looked at her dazedly and then his eyes rolled back into his
head and he fell to the ground unconscious. Xena gave a snort of disgust and
then looked up at Lausus who had stopped laughing and hung draped over his horse's
neck, moaning miserably.

"Great." Xena got to
her feet and pulled the man down. She positioned him next to his sleeping friend
and barely got out of the way when he rolled over and emptied his stomach near
her feet. "Thanks." She muttered to herself. Looking up to the moon she, gauged
the time to be just after midnight. So with a defeated sigh she threw a blanket
from one of their saddles over them then mounted Argo.

"Well, guess if you
want something done, you had better do it yourself. Come on girl."

Xena rode for another
candle mark through a dark canopy of trees. Fog had begun to seep from the forest
onto the trail she followed and Argo's hooves created a swirling pattern as
she stepped through it. Coming out of the thick wood she found herself in a
hollow vale. The stars stretched forever in all directions and Xena couldn't
help but wish Gabrielle were with her to compliment the beauty. The sound of
rushing water drew her attention from the night sky and she pushed Argo in it's
direction.

As she crested a small
hill she began to smell the faint traces of burnt wood. Dropping off Argo's
back, she crouched down and she made her way up. The wet, dew covered grass
licked at her upper thighs and arms as she moved. It might have been the damp
grass beneath her or the sight of the war camp nestled snug in the vale beyond,
but Xena was helpless against the shiver that shook her body.

She counted the fires
and swallowed reflexively at the large number. 'Two hundred fires means around
two thousand men.' Blowing out a breath, she studied the layout of the camp.
She made out the watch standers easily and found the perimeter of the camp to
be relatively unguarded. 'It doesn't really need any defense. Who would attack
an army this large?' Xena got to her feet and proceeded over the hill towards
the rear quarter of the camp. Without any tress or brush for cover and a full
moon high overhead, the warrior had to crawl through the knee high grasses to
keep from being seen. A long candle mark later, Xena reached the outer edge
and quickly worked her way around to the cluster of tall tents towards the south
side. Stopping several times to avoid passing guards, she creeped under a supply
tent's tarp that stood near the tent cluster. Peeking through a slit she made
in the wall and tried to determine which was Diphobus'. Knowing the man like
she did, it wasn't very difficult to narrow it down to the two small tents near
the center. Strictly military in color and design, it was practical and aesthetically
plain. 'Once a Roman, always a Roman.'

Xena crept to the backside
of the tent and paused to listen for voices. Hearing none she cut the tent wall
and peered inside. Lamps were turned low for the night and cast shadows across
the room. Xena let her eyes adjust for a moment then silently entered the tent.
Walking over to a desk cluttered with documents and maps that sat near the center,
Xena threw one look towards the tent door and began to sift through the stack
on the table.

'Maps for Pardum
and local Myceane, as well as farther up into Thessaly and Macedonia. And Metis
thought I was being ambitious. Xena continued to probe the scattered pile
when something in the corner of the room caught her eye. Reflected what little
candlelight remained from a small footlocker near the back of the tent where
she had gained entry. Abandoning the desk, she knelt by the locker and picked
up a small silver medallion shaped to resemble the head of a lioness. She turned
it over in her hands and then reached into the locker to pull out a single leather
pouch. Xena spared another glance towards the door as she opened the pouch.
Inside were more maps and documents. The maps were of places she didn't know
except for one. Themyscira. What does he want with the Amazons? Xena
flipped to the next one and found a strange writing in an ancient language.

Footsteps nearby and
shouts in the camp alerted Xena. She quickly put the medallion into the pouch
and tucked it away under her breastplate. Leaving the tent, she slid back around
the way she came but was seen by a group of guards. Xena gave up trying to hide
and just ran for the forest.

Once over the hill she
was stopped in her tracks by the sight of small detachment of Diphobus' soldiers.
Cursing under her breath she reached back and drew her sword. They stood between
her and the forest. She knew if she could make it to the forest she could loose
them long enough to find Argo, get back to Gabrielle and head for the Amazon's.
But now she wasn't so sure. The cool night air lifted her hair about her face
as she stood there. The silence of the vale erupted into battle as the soldiers
charged her all at once.

********

Standing on the hill
top observing the battle was a woman. Strands of fiery red hair floated in the
breeze about the pale face and rich green eyes.

Diphobus came up to
stand beside the woman and together they watched the ensuing slaughter.

"She has the prophecy."
Diphobus spoke after a while.

"No matter. By the time
they figure it out, they will have led me right to it. By then it will be far
too late for my divine sisters to stop me."

The two continued to
watch as Xena cut down every soldier with chilling violence.

"It's dangerous to play
with Xena. If Ares ever found out..."

The beautiful woman
laughed. "Ares' plans for the warrior are shortsighted. He seeks only to rule
this world, but his weakness is that he needs her to do it for him. Once I have
the lion, he wont be a problem. The Amazons are the stepping stone. My sister's
pathetic sorority will be the first to fall. A delicious reward for all their
help. And with them goes Artemis, and then shall the mountain topple to the
ground."